Pain
Pain of any type is the most frequent reason for physician consultation in the United States, prompting half of all Americans to seek medical care annually. It is a major symptom in many medical conditions, significantly interfering with a person's quality of life and general functioning. Diagnosis is based on characterizing pain in various ways, according to duration, intensity, type (dull, burning or stabbing), source, or location in body. Usually pain stops without treatment or responds to simple measures such as resting or taking an analgesic, and it is then called acute pain. But it may also become intractable and develop into a condition called chronic pain, in which pain is no longer considered a symptom but an illness by itself.
Pain can be classified according to many schemes and circumstances. There are two basic types of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain occurs for brief periods of time and is associated with temporary disorders. However, it is always an alarm signal that something may be wrong. Chronic pain is continuous and recurrent. It is associated with chronic diseases and is one of their symptoms. Pain intensity not only depends on the type of stimulus that caused it, but also on the subjective perception of the pain. Despite a wide range of subjective perception, several types of pain have been classified according to:                The stimulus that caused the pain.        The pain's duration.        The features of pain (intensity, location, etc.).        
Another classification system is as follows:                Gnawing pain. Continuous with constant intensity. It generally worsens with movement.        Throbbing pain. This is typical of migraine pain. It is caused by dilation and constriction of the cerebral blood vessels.        Stabbing pain. Intense and severe. It is caused by mechanical stimuli.        Burning pain. A constant, burning feeling, like, for example, the type of pain caused by heartburn.        Pressing pain. Caused by constriction of the blood vessels or muscles.        
There are also specific types of pain:                Muscle pain. Also known as myalgia, this pain involves the muscles and occurs after excessive exertion or during inflammation.        Colicky pain. Caused by muscle contractions of certain organs, such as the uterus during the menstrual period. Generally cyclic in nature.        Referred pain. Occurs when the painful sensation is felt in a site other than the one where it is actually occurring, depending upon how the brain interprets information it receives from the body.        Post-surgical or Post-operative pain. Occurs after surgery and is due to lesions from surgical procedures.        Bone cancer pain. Certain types of cancers, such as prostate, breast, or other soft-tissue tumors, may progress to a painful disorder of the bone known as metastatic bone disease.Standard Care for Pain Treatment        
There are many ways to treat pain. Treatment varies depending on the cause of pain. The main treatment options are as follows:
Acetaminophen: Tylenol (Acetaminophen) is used to treat pain. Unlike several other medications for pain, Tylenol does not have anti-inflammatory effects. Often, however, in cases of chronic pain, no inflammation is at the site of the pain, and thus Tylenol may be an appropriate treatment choice. Tylenol is safe when used appropriately, but can be dangerous when used excessively. Also, Tylenol may cause unwanted effects when used with certain other medicaments.
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Medications (NSAIDs): The NSAIDs (such as Ibuprofen, Motrin, Aleve, etc.) are most beneficial in cases of acute pain, or flare-ups in patients with chronic pain. NSAIDs are also excellent at treating inflammatory conditions including tendonitis, bursitis, and arthritis. In general, NSAID use is limited for patients with chronic pain because of concerns about the development to stomach problems. While the newer, so-called COX-2 inhibitors, such as Celebrex, were designed to avoid this complication, caution should still be used when using these medications for long periods of time.
Corticosteroids: As with NSAIDs, corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatory medications, and best used for acute pain or for flare-ups of a chronic inflammatory problem. Corticosteroids can either be taken orally (such as Medrol. Prednisone), or injected into the soft tissues or joints (cortisone injections).
Narcotics: Narcotics should be considered if pain cannot be otherwise controlled. Many narcotics can be dangerous and addicting. While narcotic medications are useful for acute pain, they also have significant side effects. The short-acting types of these medications can lead to overuse and the development of tolerance. Long-acting options have fewer side effects, and better control of chronic pain. Narcotics can become addictive when they are used for lengthy times without gradual reduction in the dose, or if the medications are taken for reasons other than pain.
Anti-Convulsants: Anti-convulsant medications are the category of medications that work to relieve nerve pain. These medications alter the function of the nerve and the signals that are sent to the brain. The most commonly prescribed anticonvulsant medication for nerve pain is called Neurontin (Gabapentin). Another option that has more recently emerged, specifically for the treatment of fibromyalgia, is called Lyrica (Pregabalin).
Local Anesthetics: Local anesthetics can provide temporary pain relief to an area. When used in the setting of chronic pain, local anesthetics are often applied as a topical patch to the area of pain. Lidoderm comes in a patch that is applied to the skin and decreases the sensitivity of this area.
All of the above mentioned treatment options have drawbacks, side effects, or use is limited to certain types of pain. Hence, there is still a high unmet medical need for the treatment of pain.
GM-CSF
Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a cytokine that functions as a white blood cell growth factor. GM-CSF stimulates stem cells to produce granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils) and monocytes. Monocytes exit the circulation and migrate into tissue, whereupon they mature into macrophages. It is, thus, part of the natural immune/inflammatory cascade, by which activation of a small number of macrophages can rapidly lead to an increase in their numbers, a process crucial for fighting infection. The active form of GM-CSF is found extracellularty as a homodimer. In particular, GM-CSF has been identified as an inflammatory mediator in autoimmune disorders, like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), leading to an increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and proteases and, thereby, ultimately to articular destruction.
GM-CSF is a cytokine which is involved in various processes in the human and the animal body. Also, certain diseases and pathologies, such as inflammatory diseases, were recently linked to GM-CSF, and GM-CSF was suggested as a potential point of intervention. The present invention discloses for the first time, that GM-CSF is also a valid target for the treatment of pain